Window or door catch



' March 25, 1941. e. HAGSTROM 2,236,174

wmnow 0R noon anon Fileddct. 21, 1939 Patented Mar. 25, 1941 pnrreoSTATES PATENT OFF'IGE WINDOW OR DOOR- CAT-OH Application October 21,1939, Serial No. 300,563

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a catch for hinged closures such as doors orcasement windows, for example, and more particularly to a device whichis adapted to insure'that the door will be closed tightly against thejamb and be heldiin such position by spring action.

It sometimes occurs that a door or hinged window will be warped and willnot close tightly throughout its entire height, particularly at the top.It may also occurinconnection with casement windows, for example, thatwhen the window is brought to closedpositionby the usual window operatorit is necessary or desirable to havesome means to give it an additionalpull or tension to insure the tight closing of the window against thecasing.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of asimple structure for applying spring tension to a door or window afterit has been brought to approximately closed position to insure the finalmovement of the door or window against the jamb or casing.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a device ofthe character described which will be operated by spring tension, andwhich will be provided with a convenient and simple device for adjustingthe tension of the spring, so that this tension will always besufficiently great to insure the tight closing of the door or window.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a door catchor closing device which operates to draw the door to a fully closedposition by spring tension, and is provided with means for adjustingthis spring tension, and which also is so constructed that it may beeconomically manufactured and readily assembled, and may be applied tothe door in such position that the spring may be adjusted withoutremoval of the device from its installed position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described in which the tension of the operating spring isadapted to be adjusted by a member accessible at all times from theexterior of the casing when the device is installed.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features andcombinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, of a hinged closure member such as adoor or casement window to which the improved door catch has beenapplied;

Fig. 2 is a sectional-view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing thedoorcatch intopplan;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the casing of the door catch on line33 of Fig. 1, showing the closure member in fully closed position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in the positionoccupied when the closure member is being brought to closedposition;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the device applied to the casing;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on line 6-6-of Fig. 3

Fig. 7 is a detail'perspective view of the adjusting nut;

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the springholding stirrup; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 4,

showing the templet used for installing the device.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown adoor or window casing I0, and a closure which may be a door or casementwindow ll hinged to the casing at l2.

As shown, the. door catch. is applied at the upper edge of the door andconsists of a hollow casing [3 which may be secured to the doorcasing.by screws I4. It will be understood that the casing I3 is closedat the ends and on three sides, but is left open at the rear side, asshown in Fig. 1, that is, the side facing the closure member ll.

A catch element is pivoted in the casing between the upper and lowerwalls of the same. This catch element comprises a pair of spaced arms [5and i6 pivoted to the walls of the casing, as shown at I! and i8, andconnected intermediate their ends by a Web l9. ,At their forward endsthese arms support a roller 20, the purpose of which will be referred tohereinafter.

To the member 19 is connected one end of a tension spring 21., the otherend of which is secured to the bight portion 22 of a stirrup mem-v ber,shown more particularly in Fig. 8. This stirrup member consists of thisbight portion 22. and arms 23. and 2.4, one at either end of the bightportion. The arms 23 and 24 are provided with fulcrum members 25 and216, these members being adapted to have a bearing against abutments 2'!and 2 8, which are rigid with the casing l3. As shown in Fig. 6, theseabutments may be e on mic l y n o en e t fo med y displacing inwardly orindenting the metal of the. walls of the casing forming inwardlyprojecting ears which provide the abutments. a

. T rms Z a d 2 xt nd earwerd ri p the bearing portions 25 and 26. andare in this ill instance provided upon their upper surface with notches29 and 39. Within these notches are received projections 3I and 32 onthe ends of a bridge member or nut 33 provided with a threaded opening34 at an intermediate portion thereof.

A screw 35 is adapted to be passed through an opening 36 in the frontwall of the casing, and to have its threaded surface received in thethreaded opening 34 of the nut or bridge plate 33. From an inspection ofFig. 3, it will be obvious that as the screw head 35 will not passthrough the opening 36, rotation of this screw by a screw driver orsimilar tool at the exterior of the casing will move the plate or nut 33toward and from the front wall of the casing and thus rock the stirrupmember about its bearings 25 and 26 against the shoulders 21 and 28. Asthis rocking motion will pull the bight portion 22 of the stirrup awayfrom the web member I9, it will be seen that the spring 2I will bestretched and its tension increased. It will also be obvious that thestirrup member is not secured in the casing except by the screw 35 andthe Spring 2I, these members acting in opposition to each other toretain the lower and forward portions of the arms 23 and 24 against theshoulders 21 and 28 and against the front wall of the casing.

Secured to the closure member, such as the door or window II, by screws39 is a strap 40 having a free end bent in the form of a hook 4|, and anintermediate portion folded or displaced outwardly to form a cam surface42 adjacent the mouth of the hook. The cooperation between this hook andthe roller 20 of the catch element is shown more particularly in Figs. 3and 4. Also it will be observed that with the parts in the position ofFig. 3, which position is occupied when the door is in fully closedposition, the spring 2I acts upon the lower (as shown in these figures)side of the pivot members I1 and I8, and therefore tends to rock thearms I5 and I6 in a clockwise direction about their pivots. However,when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, the line of actionof the spring 2I is above the pivots I1 and I8, and tends to rock thearms I5 and I6 in a counter-clockwise direction, which movement is,however, limited, as shown in Fig. 4, by the free ends of these armscontacting with the wall of the casing.

A brief description of the operation of the device may now be helpful.With the closure member in open position the parts of the catch are inthe positions shown in Fig. 4, with the arms I5 and I6 of the catchelement projecting from the casing toward the closure member, so thatthe roller 20 will bev in position to be engaged by the 3am surface 42when the door or window is closed to a sufficient extent. This is theposition of parts shown in Fig. 4, and upon a further move ment of theclosure member toward closed position the roller 20 is cammed into thehook M, and the catch element swung in a clockwise direction, with theroller moving toward the casing. As soon as the catch element is swungto a sufficient extent so that the line of action of the spring passesthe pivots I1 and I8, the spring will act to snap the catch element intothe casing in the position shown in Fig. 3. The roller, being engagedwith the hook, will, when this snap action occurs, carry the hook 4Iinto the casing with it, and as this hook is secured to the closuremember II, the latter will be drawn up tightly against the jamb orcasing.

When the closure member is opened, the hook 4|, by its engagement withthe roller, pulls the catch element outwardly from the casing from theposition shown in Fig. 3 approximately to the position shown in Fig. 4,when the roller 20 is released by the hook element and moved in acounter-clockwise direction by the spring 2I until the free ends of thearms I5 and- I6 engage the front wall of the casing and limit furthermovement thereof. This is the position shown in Fig. 4 when the partsare ready for another operation.

In Fig. 9 of the drawing I have shown a templet which is useful ininstalling the device. It will be understood that the strap 40 must besecured to the window or door in proper relation to the casing I3 whichis secured to the frame, so that the hook M will properly engage theroller 29. In order to properly locate the position of the strap 40 Iemploy a templet 45 which comprises an L-shaped member, as shown in Fig.9, and which is provided at one end with a marker in the form of 9.prong 46. It will be seen that one leg of this member is adapted to beplaced in the casing between the roller 20 and the end wall of thecasing, as shown in Fig. 9, so that the other end extends along the openside of the casing, with the marker 46 substantially in line with thepivots I1 and I8. The casing is first secured to the door frame, and thetemplet slipped therein. The closure member is then closed and the prong46 marks the position of one of the screws 39, which serves to properlylocate the strap 46.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention,it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the detailsshown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit ofthe invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a door catch, a casing, a catch element pivoted thereto, a springconnected at one end to said element to yieldably hold it in the casing,a member to which the other end of said spring is connected, means tosupport said member rockably in the casing, and means to rock saidmember about its support to adjust the tension of the spring, saidsupporting means comprising an abutment rigid with the casing againstwhich said member is held by tension of the spring.

2. In a door catch, a casing, a catch element pivoted thereto, a springconnected at one end to said element to yieldably hold it in the casing,said casing being provided with abutment means, spring-holdin means towhich the other end of said spring is connected, said spring-holdingmeans having a part bearing against said abutment means, and means torock said spring-holding means about said abutment to adjust the tensionof said spring, said rocking means comprising a screw passing throughthe wall of the casing and threadedly engaged with said springholdingmeans.

3. In a door catch, a casing, a catch element pivoted thereto, a springconnected at one end to said element to yieldably hold it in the casing,said casing being provided with abutment means, spring-holding means towhich the other end of said spring is connected, said spring-holdingmeans having a part bearing against said abutment means, means to rocksaid spring-holding means about said abutment to adjust the tension ofsaid spring, said spring-holding means comprisin a member having spacedarms extending away from said abutment, and a nut engaging said arms,and said rocking means being connected to said nut.

4. In a door catch, a casing, a catch element pivoted thereto, a springconnected at one end to said element to yieldably hold it in the casing,said casing being provided with spaced abutments, a stirrup memberbearing upon said abutments to which member the other end of said springis connected, said member having a part projecting away from theabutments, a screw accessible from the exterior of the casing, and meansconnected to said screw to eiTect rocking movement of said stirrupmember about said abutments to adjust the tension of the spring.

5. In a door catch, a casing, a catch element pivoted thereto, a sprinconnected at one end to said element to yieldabl hold it in the casing,said casing being provided with spaced abutments, a stirrup memberbearing upon said abutments to which member the other end of said springis connected, said stirrup member having spaced arms projecting awayfrom said abutments, a nut spanning said arms and engaged therewith, anda screw carried by the casing and threadedly connected to the nut toeiTect rocking of said stirrup member about said abutments. 6. In a doorcatch, a casin a catch element pivoted thereto, a spring connected atone end to said element to yieldably hold it in the casing, said casingbeing provided with spaced abutments, a stirrup member bearing upon saidabutments to which member the other end of said spring is connected,said member having a part projecting away from the abutments, a screwaccessible from the exterior of the casing, and means connected to saidscrew to effect rocking movement of said stirrup member about saidabutments to adjust the tension of the spring, said abutments comprisingears integral with and displaced inwardly from the walls of the casing.

' GOT'IHARD HAGSTRO-M.

